How to Pick Up Girls by Black
by JujuQue
Summary: An encounter between N and Black occurs at a café. After a brief, slightly awkward conversation, Black comes to the conclusion that N has feelings for his twin sister, White. With Black's guidance, and N's "oh-so-sexy" looks, Black takes N under his wing to vie for White's heart. Taking Black seriously may not be a smart choice however. NxWhite. Ferriswheelshipping.
1. The Deal

_A/N: Umm, hi. So, I'm really in love with this pairing, and have been ever since the first Black and White games. Back when I first fell in love with this ship, I made another Ferriswheelshipping fanfic titled Once Upon A Time. Looking back at it now, I realize I made N extremely OOC. Therefore I wrote this to compensate for my failure in depicting characters. Hopefully N acts more like…N in this fanfic._

_Sooooo, I hope you find this story to your liking, and thanks for clicking :D_

_(Btw I added a new scene at the end, just to flesh out White and Black a little more. It's really cheesy, so have fun with that)_

* * *

_**The Deal**_

In a small café of little significance buried deep in Driftveil City sat N, his head of green hair bowed low, grey eyes obscured from view by the black bill of his cap. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against his chair. His grey eyes were half-lidded, and as though he were in a trance, he moved only to tap his foot against the wooden panels, his pace slow and seemingly rhythmic. The man had elicited quite a few stares from the waitresses, owed to the fact that he had sat there for nearly half an hour with a cup of coffee set in front of him still filled to the brim. The wisps of smoke that had arisen from his drink due to its heat disappeared long ago, leaving behind a cold liquid that remained untouched.

A few of the other customers in the café (particularly female) took notice of his brooding state, wondering what such a mysteriously handsome fellow such as he could be thinking of with such a focused expression. Could it be that he musing about the naivety of the human race, so blind that they didn't realize the harm they were inflicting on Pokémon was a result of keeping them in captivity? Or perhaps he was reminiscing the shattered and absent fragments of his childhood, in which he was raised to represent his strong ideals with a sense of purity, when in reality he was being used by his father for villainous deeds instead. Or perhaps his entire world has been victim to ruination when the truth he sought for his entire life turned out to be wrong, and now he is on a quest to seek his true purpose in life.

Of course, the fangirls were wrong. Matters concerning his eventual ascension to heroism was for later. As of right now, another dilemma took occupancy in his mind. Why it felt more important than his legendary status as Unova's future king was beyond him (it was only _slightly_ more important, probably by a mere fraction-N had calculated).

It was at that moment that an image of a young girl, donning brunette curls tucked under a pink and white cap, slipped back into his mind. Her blue eyes were vivid and cold even in his imagination. N propped his elbows onto the table, burying his face into his hands. There was simply no cure for this ailment, this disease. It was not normal to think about someone so often-and yet he did. The fact that she wasn't even a pokémon made the predicament even more disconcerting.

The girl that frequently invaded his thoughts was none other than White: the aspiring trainer from Nuvema Town. She was a young girl, aged sixteen, dead set on obliterating all of Team Plasma and their goals. Which meant that she was also determined to keep all of her pokémon, no matter what; the exact thing N strived to take away. In other words, she was the enemy. But even with the knowledge that her goals clashed with his, N was unable give a logical explanation as to why her presence ignited a feeling of...joy within him.

_Why am I so interested in a human? _N thought to himself, head still clasped in his hands. N couldn't pinpoint exactly what caused him so much..._angst_. He was certain that his situation was equivalent to that of most teenage girls if his assumptions on those strange creatures was somewhat accurate.

A customer had arrived, as signified by the erratic chiming of a bell that hung over the entrance door.

"Hello_ beautiful_, think I can get the nice window seat over there? And a hot cup of coffee, maybe on a discount? Can't say no to someone like me, right cutie?" N lifted his head from his hands to take a look at the person whose voice he vaguely recognized. The voice was easily distinguishable; N hadn't heard any other voice that could grate his nerves like the one he was hearing at that moment.

It was Black, another trainer he had encountered during his journey through Unova. The young boy looked up at waitress with a smile that seemed to ooze charisma and appeal. The woman had a red tint visible on her skin as she led Black directly to the seat he had begged for. Said seat was the one right next to N's table.

Black took his seat, winked at the waitress, and watched as she skipped off to get him a coffee. On a discount. He smirked to himself, leaning back in his chair. While the brunet was preoccupied with eyeing the young females in the café, N took this time to observe the teen.

A red hat sat upon a mess of chestnut hair, grown just long enough to brush his jawline. The corners of his mouth reached up to his chocolate brown orbs, swiveling around to meet the eyes of the female customers. Every once in a while he'd close one of his brown eyes in a wink, and his smile would stretch even wider. Any movement Black made seemed to exude an air of cockiness and self-indulgence: traits that N was never in favor of. In short, Black was the epitome of an obnoxiously prideful _human_ being; the caricature of everything there was to hate about humans.

_Ugh. Humans._ N thought bitterly.

After catching the attentions of nearly all the females in the small restaurant, Black turned his head to look out the window. Doing so however, caused his brown eyes to avert to his left ever so slightly-it was just enough to catch N in the corner of his eye. He spun around in his seat in shock.

"N?" Black's eyes widened, his mouth agape. N however, remained calm.

"Greetings, Black, we meet again." N paused to lift the small cup of coffee in front of him to his lips. He sipped it slowly, waiting for Black to reply.

An angry look took its place upon Black's initially shocked face. "My sister told me about what happened in Nimbasa. You're the leader of Team Plasma, aren't you?"

_Ah yes, he's her brother, _N recalled. Black was not only a constant irritant, but also an obstacle. An obstacle for what exactly? N didn't know, but it certainly had something to do with White. Black was the 'older' sibling of White-the boy insisted on bringing up his status as the elder sibling as often as possible. The fact that Black was so proud of being 'older' vastly confused N since the time span between their births couldn't have been more than a few hours, seeing as they were identical twins.

"So White informed you of my identity. I suppose you are another adversary to be defeated." N stated curtly as he placed his drink back on the table. He normally would have been bothered by the fact that there was another person that would interfere with his plans, but Black had been a nuisance from the start; always insisting that pokémon _enjoyed_ being forced into a capsule only to be brought out during times of battle.

"Speaking of White," N uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, "Where is she? Is she not usually accompanied by you?" N wasn't sure where the sudden curiosity had stemmed from, but he made no attempt to hide it. Judgement from Black was of little importance to him anyway. Being twins, Black and White were always together, and the only other time they had been separated was in Nimbasa City where N whisked White away onto the Rondez-View Ferris wheel.

Black hesitated a bit before answering, still wary of the Plasma King, "She's battling Clay right now."

"Hm. I see." N averted his gaze back at the table and began to trace his finger along the brink of his small teacup distractedly. _She's battling. _He sighed in dismay. He wasn't sure why.

The scraping of metal against the wooden floor caused N to glance up. Black had moved his seat to N's table and sat himself back down on the chair, his glare fixed on the older teen.

"Why did you ask where my sister is?" his cold stare remained unwavering.

N didn't answer immediately for two reasons: he wasn't quite sure why the younger teen looked so angry and couldn't think of an answer himself.

"Well?" Black prodded impatiently.

N took a few moments to arrange his next set of words carefully. But before he could stop himself, he blurted out:

"Your sister interests me." N couldn't help but feel a twinge of..._something_ from his statement. White really did interest him, but the thought made him freeze in his seat, and despite feeling as though he was frozen in place, he still felt warmth pool over his cheeks. N never liked contradictions, so he assumed that this feeling was probably something negative wrought upon him for interacting with his sworn enemy.

Was White his sworn enemy?

Black's glare softened a bit, briefly transitioning into a look of surprise and finally settling into his usual mischievous grin.

"You mean, you like _her_? _White_? That weirdo who can sleep as long as a snorlax? My awkward sister who knows zilch on how to communicate with people? That girl who I never believed a guy would ever _ever EVER_ crush on?" he yelled. A few stares from the other customers were cast their way, but the boys took no notice of it. And the other customers (particularly female) weren't too bothered since the teens they stared at were pretty good-looking, despite how weird they acted.

"What are you..." N trailed off in confusion as he felt his already heated cheeks grow hotter.

Black's grin widened. "Well, well, _well_. I guess I'll have to act nicer towards my little sister's husband-to-be."

…Husband-to-be? N stared at Black, his grey eyes opened wide. There were no words to describe N's shock at meeting such a dim-witted boy such as Black. But there was also a small part of him that actually felt..._pleased_ about Black's statement. N shook his head, mentally scolding himself for taking anything stupid Black said seriously.

"It's a waste of my time conversing with you, especially since there are pokémon out there probably in need of my help. I don't need to hear you ramble about your sister and my nonexistent attraction towards her." N stormed out of the café as quick as possible, not wanting to linger any longer around the idiot boy. As he exited, he shoved the door open, and the bell hung in front of the entrance was snapped out of its spot by force. N didn't look back.

He was immediately met with the sandy landscape of Driftveil, the golden sand shifted constantly, in tune with the strong winds. The sun blazed overhead, beating down harshly upon the citizens and leaving them with beads of sweat trickling down their skin.

Despite the harsh wind and the possibility of sand particles lodging themselves into his unprotected eyes, N quickened his strides through the bits of dust as they collided with his face. Walking at a fast pace, he neglected to acknowledge the people he brushed past, even when he accidentally knocked over an elderly woman (she slowly got back up to cuss him out, but by the time she was standing he was already out of sight). As he proceeded to walk forward, the world around him blurred as he eased into the confines of the thoughts.

_I don't like White. Not in the way Black thinks. She's undeniably strong, brave, and incredibly unique, but that doesn't mean I hold her in any higher regard than any other girl I've met (_which is very few_). None of that…"husband-to-be" business Black was going on about. There's just no way. She's the enemy, so it's impossible for me to actually hold in an interest in my worst foe. There's no way. _

So preoccupied was he by this thoughts, he-without knowing-crashed head-first into a tree. N simply sat down in front of the tree, completely unaware that he had just made the most embarrassing "tree-to-head" collision scenario ever.

He was still thinking.

_Besides, she's also human. Nothing good comes out of a human. Yes, she treats her pokemon well. That doesn't matter-she's still human. And aesthetically, I suppose she's slightly better than most. That doesn't mean anything-she still isn't the _most_ attractive...in terms of visual. She doesn't talk much...that's actually a relief but still not enough for me to garner any interest in her-_

"Well, N. You look like you're deep in thought about something. Could it possibly be….girl troubles?" N didn't have to look up to realize that the one talking was the last person he wanted to see.

"Go away Black. I am not in the appropriate state of mind to be able to handle your inessential nettling as of now."

"Ouch. Harsh, even though I have no idea what you said." Black placed a hand on the older teen's shoulder.

"I meant that I'm not in the mood to talk to you, and I'd rather you didn't put your filthy hand on me." N lifted his head up, the annoyance scrawled all over his face.

"Again, that was hurtful." Black bent down to sit next to N.

"And I'd rather you weren't so close to me." N scooted away from Black.

"So, since you're all set on becoming my sister's hubby-"

"Don't jump to conclusions. I said I was interested-"

"And in N-speak, that means you like her!" Black proclaimed.

…N-speak?

"What is this N-speak-"

"Well, I figured that since you're such a weird person, you probably have your own way of saying things. Instead of being normal and saying 'I like someone' I thought that you'd probably say something vague and long like 'I am interested in someone.' Plus, you seem to appear out of nowhere wherever she is, so that probably means you stalk her. So, add it all up and it's obvious you like my sister and I'm here to help, end of story," Black wrapped an arm around N's shoulders, "So what do you say? I, being your future brother-in-law, am obligated to help you warm up my sister's ice cold heart."

N swatted Black's arm away and stood up. "Look, Black. You may have well intentions, but I honestly have no attraction towards your sister whatsoever. I'm sure she'd make a lovely partner, but I am not willing to comply to being hers. Find some other man willing to be her companion." N stood up to leave.

Before taking a step, N could feel a hand clasping the end of his shirt.

"Look, N. I do have well intentions. And I know for a fact that you like my sister. I also know for a fact that you two would make a good couple. It's intuition, man." It was eerie how serious Black looked, considering the fact that most of the time he had an idiotic grin stamped onto his face.

"I find it odd that you, the imbecile that dared to glare at me in the cafe only a mere seven minutes and twenty-two seconds ago for 'deceiving' your sibling, has decided to aid me in gaining her affections. Which I am not in need for _at all_. I would like to be informed of your true intentions."

"That's for me to know and for you to find out. So, listen to me. No one knows my sister better than I do, and what I know is that it's extremely hard to get on her good side. But once you are on her good side…you'd still probably make a fool outta yourself," Black paused, "Luckily you have somehow made it on her good side…until she found out that you were a Plasma goon-"

"Then I suppose there's no use in trying right?" N knew that he could just run away at that moment, but despite that, he stayed glued to his spot.

"I still think there's a fair chance in getting her to like you though. With my advice and your handsomeness, she'll completely forget about how weird and socially awkward you really are."

At that point, N decided to start walking away from Black.

"I don't like your sister, I'm not weird or awkward, I don't need your help, and _I don't like your sister_." His voice began to fade as he continued off into the distance. He didn't get far.

At that moment, Black's cross-transceiver started to ring. Black immediately pressed a button to answer the call.

"Well, well, well. Hello there, my lovely sister _White_." Black made sure to emphasize his sister's name before N got too far.

N halted at the sound of her voice, but no amount of straining on his ears would permit him to hear exactly what she was saying. Black nodded his head every once in a while in response to what White was telling him."Gotcha. See ya there," Black glanced up from his cross-transceiver to look at N, "I see you've changed your mind about leaving. Could it be because you heard the voice of a certain person?"

N started walking away, taking care to triple his speed in comparison to his storm out of the cafe. This time he headed towards a specific location in mind: the Pokémon Center. Even if Black followed him there, the sight of Nurse Joy would probably stop the hormonal teen in his tracks.

The Plasma King found himself at the Center before he knew it. He turned around to check if Black had followed him. To his relief, the boy had not been stalking him on his way to the medical center. N entered the building, feeling more relieved than ever that day.

The door opened again just as N made his way to the front desk. The green-haired teen turned his head just enough to see that White was at the door. His grey eyes widened, his cheeks flushed pink, and he froze, unmoving, in his spot.

"Wuh." He blurted out before he could stop himself.

_What is she doing here? Is she coming because she saw me through the window? What should I say when she comes to talk to me? I hope I don't say anything ridiculous like Black does whenever he sees a pretty girl. Not that White is pretty or anything. She just looks…better-looking than other girls? No, no, no, White is just White. Just human...WHY DOES MY FACE FEEL SO WARM? There's no reason for me to act so nervous around her so why-Oh, Arceus she's coming closer. What do I do? WHAT DO I-_

White brushed past him without acknowledgment. Either she didn't see him, or she was just ignoring him was unknown.

"…Hello…White." N said in a small voice. White glanced at him before quickly whipping her head towards the other direction.

"Oh. It's you." She stated bluntly, her voice void of any emotion as usual. White looked around the Center. With her brother nowhere in sight, she simply stalked out of the building, probably to cuss out her brother on her Xtransceiver for not being where he was supposed to be. She left.

"White." N whispered her name once she was gone.

At that moment, Black decided to approach N from his hiding spot behind a potted plant in the corner.

"So, N. You sure you don't need my help in reaching for the fair White's stone heart?" Black boomed theatrically.

N could feel the warm feeling he had in his cheeks dwindle away as he considered what Black was saying. There had to be a reason the world seemed to stop spinning the moment White came around.

It couldn't be…that he was actually interested in her…was it?

"I-I…" N was speechless. There was no explanation for the way N acted when White was nearby other than…him having an attraction towards her.

"No worries, bro. I feel ya. I get speechless like that too when the girl I like passes by. Which is why I'm here. I'm going to get you out of that state and soon she'll be putty in your hands. So if you were to listen to my advice, there's no doubt you two will be a couple. Deal?" Black winked.

N blinked. He couldn't be serious. He couldn't possibly help N in gaining the acknowledgment of White. What help would he be of anyway? Black was just some hyperactive, obnoxious, idiot trainer whose life revolved around girls and sleeping all day and-

Before he could think any further, N bowed down his head, and in a low whisper, "Deal."

Black grinned. This would no doubt be an entertaining endeavor.

N's face remained blank however. He felt as though he had just made a pact with the devil.

The doors of the Pokémon Center slid open once again. The boys turned their heads to see a scowling waitress at the entrance, two wrinkled receipts clenched in her hands.

Black turned to face N. "The first rule of etiquette towards a female is paying for her meals. This is the perfect opportunity to practice that, no?" a sheepish grin crossed Black's face.

Sighing, N stuffed his hand into his pocket, fishing out money to pay for Black's hearty meal, which probably cost ten times more than the small cup of coffee N had never finished.

* * *

_Four hours preceding the pact made between the Black and N..._

Black couldn't help but sense a wave of tensity encompass both he and his sister as they drew closer to Driftveil Drawbridge. He turned his head to look at White: since their departure from Nimbasa City, White had not lifted her gaze from the ground. His sister had always been the brooding type, but even so the intensity of her glare at the earth beneath them just seemed plain odd.

"Yo, sis. Something happen?" Black asked innocently. White stopped and gave a hard kick at the dirt ground, chunks of soil flying into the air and clinging onto her black boots.

"Absolutely fine." White answered through gritted teeth. She brushed the pieces of dirt that latched onto her shorts off and strode past her brother. Black wrinkled his brows.

"If you say so."

Every once and a while White would kick at random objects standing in her way in what appeared to be an angry fit. Black soon realized that she was anything but fine.

"You can talk to me if you want." He offered after she kicked a boulder. She was bouncing on one leg, her other foot being held in her hands with her face contorted into a wince.

"I'm _fine_." White let go of her foot and limped forward.

Then she punched a tree.

"Seriously, I'm right here. If you need to vent about something just say so." Black nearly pleaded as White held tightly onto her bruised fist.

"I'm fine, Black. I'm serious." Before she could continue, Black placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Oh come on, I bet there are girls everywhere who want an older brother actually _willing_ to listen to their problems. Be a little grateful, geez." Black scolded. White spun around and narrowed her eyes into a glare.

"It's that bastard, okay? That's why I'm pissed and tempted to destroy everything in my path, _just like he wants to fuck up the entire world with his stupid ideas_. He's a pretentious douchebag and-" White made a move to punch the tree again but Black grabbed her fist before it made contact.

"Okay, calm down, sis!" Black yelled, "Who is this douchebag you're talking about?" He asked in genuine concern.

White lowered her fist and sighed. "N." She answered simply.

Black tilted his head to the side, eyes wide in recognition. "You mean that green-haired asshole that's always trying to convince us to free our pokémon and become vegans?" Black clarified.

White nodded, "Apparently he's not just a pissy hippie. He's also part of that stupid cult full of gingers." White rubbed her knuckles, a scowl etched into her expression.

Black laughed. "That actually makes sense." White's glare intensified and Black gulped.

"Since, it's so funny to you, let me tell you something even better: he's their leader."

"That actually is pretty funny," Black pursed his lips, "But why does that make you so mad? I mean, it's not any different from before. You just have to pummel him and his pokémon until he gets the point. And his group of knight-wannabees aren't that much of a threat either." He reasoned.

White's eyes lowered back to the ground, "Yeah well..."

"Well?"

White looked back up and mumbled quietly, "I don't know. He seemed like he was getting...nicer, and.." White let out a small indignant huff, "That jackass trapped me on a Ferris wheel while I was chasing after these grunts. And then he battled me to help them get away. He's inconvenient."

Her statement confused Black. Earlier that day (about two hours prior), after slipping away to battle Elesa, Black had returned to the theme park in search of his sister. Upon entering, he quickly found himself lost among a sea of tourists filtering into the park from all directions. He passed by colorful booths, the smell of stereotypical theme park confectioneries wafting into his nostrils. Having left all his money with his sister, he ignored the food with all his willpower. Further into the park, a horde of children flocked around a platform decorated with white and red pinstripes, upon which a Mime Jr. and its trainer performed a comedy act that involved a rubber psyduck and a vat of jelly. Black would have lingered longer to find out what the hell was up with the jelly and toy psyduck, but he broke away to continue looking for White.

When he did find her, she was standing in line for the Rondez-View Ferris wheel. He was surprised to see that she was accompanied by the green-haired hippie.

Black intended to jump in and rescue his sister, but immediately stopped once he took notice of the uncharacteristic bliss on White's face. N's usual towering stance was hunched down as he took a bite of the cotton candy White held in her hand.

_Holyyyy shiiit. _Black had thought to himself, backing away slowly. He watched as N stood back up straight, and as White reached up with a napkin to wipe a piece of cotton candy off the corner of his mouth. _Whaaat the heeell?_

It was adorable. But quite frankly, it was the strangest experience yet.

"Are you sure? I mean..." Black wanted to avoid mentioning that he had seen their little date. She might be tempted to kick something other than inanimate objects if he brought it up.

"He's probably the most infuriating person I've ever met." White said, almost half-heartedly.

White walked forward as Black shrugged. _Sexual tension is a dangerous affair. _He thought to himself crudely as he followed after his sister.

How amusing would it be if N actually had a crush on her too?

* * *

_….I still don't think I did justice for N's character…._

_I'm sorry if White seems like a bitch. Or totally different from your headcanon of her. _

_Well, hopefully this fanfic piqued your interest…? Somewhat? Enough for a favorite or review? ;D_

_Well, regardless of whether or not you actually liked, favorited, or reviewed, thanks for taking the time to read this. I appreciate it!_

_….kthxbye._


	2. Geniuses & Idiots

_A/N: Thanks so much for those who have reviewed, favorited, and followed this story :D You guys are awesome for putting up with this shitty fanfic haha._

* * *

N had always been regarded as a genius.

The Plasma king could learn anything within a matter of minutes, due to an IQ that skyrocketed above average people. The words that others spoke would seep into his mind, branding themselves upon his brain, and N would never forget them. He could figure out any of the puzzles lain before him no matter how difficult, putting them together after a brief glance at the jagged edges of the pieces. Complicated formulas and expressions and equations never fazed him as he solved them with the ease and speed of a calculator.

Anyone could see it from the way his grey eyes glazed over his surroundings in deep observation, and the way he could come up with a math equation or formula for nearly everything he encountered-his intelligence was not of the normal human's and no one doubted it.

Until today.

The Driftveil Pokémon Center bustled with life in the morning as trainers walked in and out, picking up on their long journey and healing up their damaged Pokémon. The collection of young trainers filled the building with small chat and the cries of their Pokemon (N liked to believe that the poor Pokémon were crying in sadness and not in glee when they were returned to their masters). A small part of the institute was used as a restaurant where breakfast was being provided to weary travelers who stayed overnight at the Center.

Among the young trainers sitting in the booths of the restaurant were two teenage boys: the genius N and a younger teen by the name of Black, whose half-lidded eyes emitted a cold glare to the green-haired king in front of him. Black groaned, for possibly the one hundredth time that day. After which, he proceeded to bang his head upon the table.

"N." Black mumbled.

"What?" N simply stared at Black, whose face was still planted upon the table's surface.

"I hate you." he murmured.

For what? N couldn't recall any moments where he did anything to irritate the brunet. Aside from attempting to find logic in the incredibly _stupid_ pick-up lines Black had given him to recite and frequently calling Black an idiot for the _stupid_ suggestions he constantly brought up, N was certain there was no reason for him to be hated-

"You're_ stupid_, that's why." Black lifted his head from the table, a red mark on his face was a result of the tens of times he slammed his head against the table.

It was almost as if the world had frozen over as N sat there, trying to let what Black had just told him sink in. It was incomprehensible…he wasn't stupid. No one called him stupid. Especially not an idiot like the one sitting in front of him. It was then N realized that the remark was simply out of envy on Black's part. N smirked. "Look Black, I know that you're jealous that my intellect is way above your own, but there's no need for any animosity towards-"

Black rolled his eyes and abruptly placed his hand on N's face, effectively shutting up the older teen. "I really don't give a crap about you being a genius. I'm talking about all the stuff we've been discussing. You haven't got a single romantic bone in your body, and at this rate you're just gonna end up embarrassing yourself in front of my little sister."

N slapped Black's hand away, "And as I've been saying, I am already perfectly capable of romancing White without your help. Honestly, if I linger around any longer to listen to the idiotic things you spew, my intelligence may very well be equivalent to yours. A great king is not born from idiocy."

Black glared and pursed his lips. "Oh, of course, _your majesty_. You're _totally_ ready to face my sister. You know, that one girl that's suuuuper hard to impress? The one that'll probably ignore and glare at you for the rest of your life since you're not on her good side?" A smile etched itself upon Black's face.

N frowned. He hated it when idiot Black was right. White probably hated him (A staggering sixty-percent chance according to his calculations), especially since she found out that N had been the leader of the very group she loathed.

"…Even so, it's unnecessary to overdo these things. In my opinion," N quickly added the last part after a sigh from Black.

"N, N_, N_. It's better to overdo than not do at all, don't ya think?" Black grinned his stupid smile as usual.

"I suppose." N poked at the pancake in front of him. He glanced at Black, watching as the boy stuffed his mouth with his own share of the breakfast food, and washed it down with a gulp of oranberry juice after every swallow.

"It makes me wonder why I'm learning how to impress girls from a boy who has no table manners though." N cringed as Black wiped the juice off his lips with the table cloth.

"Hm? Whatcha say?" Black leaned back, finally satisfied after a huge breakfast (that N would probably have to pay for).

"Nothing." N speared a small piece of his pancake with his fork and gingerly placed it in his mouth, taking slow bites. He would not lower himself to Black's status by eating like a starved munchlax.

"Anyway," Black crouched over the table, staring at N's face, "you gotta master these pickup lines before my sister wakes up. Once she's up, I'll have to leave with her and there's no telling when I'd be able to give you more advice. She's been bugging me about leaving for Mistralton since we beat Clay yesterday."

"Isn't it already afternoon? She could be getting up any minute."

"Which is exactly why we needa hurry up. So, let's begin," Black, as usual, pulled off his stupid grin.

"Begin what?" N stared blankly at Black. For a few seconds, Black closed his eyes in deep thought. An idea seemed to formulate in his head as his smile grew even wider.

Black took off his cap and in the manliest way possible, combed through his brown hair with his fingers and patted it down to give the illusion of longer hair. He closed one of his eyes in a wink, and blew a kiss at N. N stared.

"Alright, N," Black started in a high-pitched voice, "Tell me I'm pretty."

N stared.

Black fluttered his eyelashes; a small (manly) smile graced his lips.

N continued to stare at the brunet.

Black pursed his lips and scowled.

"C'mon N, here I am acting like the perfect girl and yet you don't even try making any passes at me." Black said, his voice reverting back to its normal tone (in N's opinion, it actually didn't sound much different from when he was imitating a girl's voice).

"No matter how much you look like your sister, there's just no way I'd even think of engaging in flirtatious banter with you." N took a sip of coffee.

Black shook his head in disbelief. "Geez, do I really need to find you a girl to practice your flirting on?"

"Whatever do you mean?" N asked wistfully, at this point not really caring about anything Black said. It was already a lost cause: White hated him and Black was a terrible teacher and an idiot-that apparently liked to pose as his sister.

"Don't even try backing outta this," Black turned his head to scan the building, "Let's find some chick for you to practice on-"

A head of yellow hair bobbed up from under the table, "HI BLACK!"

N's eyes slightly widened in surprise before averting back to his calm gaze, while Black nearly jumped out of the table with a loud yelp. A few stares were cast their way (but the boys they were looking at were pretty cute, so no one minded.)

"HOLY MILTANKS. Dude, Bianca, not cool!" Black shouted.

"Ahahaha~ Sorry~" Bianca turned to N, "Um, N right?"

N nodded.

"Nice to meetcha N, I'm Bianca~ White told me alllll about the ferriswheelshipping sce-I mean, Ferris wheel incident...hehe~" the blonde giggled.

An oversized, light green beret sat atop her head of blonde hair (or perhaps yellowish-green in color.) Her round face still held the features of a young child; the baby fat had not yet thinned out to mold into the face of an adolescent. The bright smile on her face never faltered, and N was immediately reminded of the soft smile of an Audino; one free of any hidden agenda, and instead shone with sincerity. It was this kind smile of hers that made N trust her, along with the fact that she was friends with Black…which in turn made her a friend of White's. Bianca's green eyes almost sparkled as she awaited N's response.

_Typical air headed but sweet teenage girl_. _She appears to be trustworthy._ N noted in his head as he took another sip of coffee, "Delighted to make your acquaintance."

Bianca let loose another giggle, "Oh Black, he's so cute~ All stone cold and says fancy words~ Him and White would make a lovely cou-"

Black placed a hand on Bianca's face, just as he had done to N earlier, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're kinda busy right now looking for a chick for N to flirt with, so be on your merry way or something and leave."

Bianca cocked her head to the side in deep thought as Black took his hand off her face. Her green eyes seemed to light up as a huge smile stretched itself upon her face.

"OH! OH BLACK I HAVE AN IDEA! I'm a chick, so maybe N can flirt with me!" Bianca gave a toothy grin to N.

Black contemplated the suggestion. He shook his head, "Nah. Bianca, what we need," he paused, "is a woman."

N took another sip of coffee, paying no mind to the two teenagers discussing his love life right in front of him.

"B-but I'm a woman! I've been one since birth!" Bianca whined.

Again, Black shook his head, "No can do. You act waaay too much like an elementary school girl. If N can't flirt with me, the spitting image of his crush, then there's no way he'd be able to flirt with a girl that'll remind him of a little kid."

Bianca puffed out her cheeks, angry. Her angry look wasn't enough for anyone to take seriously however.

"I'm trying to be a good friend, and all you do is call me immature? Ruuude." She crossed her arms over her chest, cheeks still filled with air.

"Pulling a tantrum doesn't make you any more mature." Black replied while waving around a muffin.

N took another bite of his pancake, chewing slowly. _Children._

"Well, your opinion doesn't matter! Let N decide," Bianca turned to N, "You don't mind if I'm the one you practice flirting with, right?"

The teen gave a small nod, focusing on his food rather than the petty argument between the childhood friends.

Black sighed, shoving the muffin into his mouth. "I guess we can try." He muffled as he munched the muffin.

"Yaaaay~" Bianca took a seat next to Black, across N.

"Start the conversation." Black prodded N.

N tried to focus his mind on what Black had taught him: _give a stupid grin_.

N stretched his mouth into a wide smile, exposing all his teeth.

Bianca fidgeted.

_Prop elbows on table (like a mannerless mankey)._

N did so.

Bianca tilted her head, confused by the abrupt movement.

_Look entranced by the girl's appearance (with a stupid look)._

N attempted to imitate the wide-eyed idiot look Black seemed to always have on his face when he looked at girls.

Bianca shrunk in her seat.

_Keep a seductive (stupid) smile on face the entire time._

N kept the stupid grin on his face, picturing Black as he did so.

"Um..." Bianca gave a small (and unsure) smile.

_And say something (stupid) that would send the girl's heart aflutter._

N opened his mouth-

"Black, let's leave for Mistralton..." The three teenagers looked up to see a half-dead looking White.

Most of the time her disheveled brunette hair (probably in its current state from having woken up a mere few minutes ago) was swept up in a high ponytail that poured out from the back of her pink and white cap. Two strands of her hair hung loosely to frame her face, upon which two blue eyes exuded a cold menacing glare that paired up with the seemingly permanent scowl on her face. She wore a white tank top underneath a black vest, and if N averted his gaze lower-not that he hadn't before-he would see that she donned denim shorts that barely reahed the lower half of her thighs.

Despite having her arms wrapped around an incredibly adorable rufflet, the three other teenagers seemed to cower in their seats at the sight of White's taciturn stare. N attempted to scope out the reason behind her angered look.

It was then N noticed he was still in the same position: leaning over Bianca with a doe-eyed look like a love-sick Growlithe.

"Ummm...ahaha." Bianca let out a weak laugh.

"Hi...sis." Black waved slowly.

White stared at them blankly, her expression indecipherable. She simply stalked out of the building without another word. N swore that before she left she glared right at him.

The green-haired king sprung from his seat as quickly as he could, trailing after White, who was sprinting towards the drawbridge.

_Why is she running so fast?_

Due to his long legs-and White's short ones-N could have easily caught up with her. However, the confusion and disarray of N's thoughts slowed him down, until he finally halted to a stop.

_Does White really harbor that much loathing for me?_

They had gotten along perfectly before Nimbasa ('perfectly' meaning slightly better than currently). She couldn't have hated him that much just because he was King of Team Plasma. A few times here and there his followers would pop out of nowhere and release unsuspecting trainers' pokémon without their consent, but it wasn't a big deal to fuss over, right?

N began running again, trying not to lose sight of White. As he neared the bridge, he stopped in his tracks.

White upon the drawbridge, her blue eyes overlooking the vast expanse of a lake before her as she stroked the rufflet in her arms. Her look was devoid of emotion. After a while, she gave a small smile to the rufflet as it played with the long strands of her hair, and N couldn't stop the surge of jealousy he felt at the attention she gave the rufflet rather than him. It disgusted N for having had a negative feeling toward a pokemon, so he pushed away the image of White's small smile.

As silently as possible, he walked over and stood next to her, also surveying the body of water beneath the drawbridge. No words were exchanged between them as they stood side-by-side. The silence was broken once N turned his head to White, "If you were wondering, I wasn't…wooing Bianca or anything." He said quietly.

Without turning to face N: "I know. I saw Black. He was probably making you do something stupid." She answered, stroking the rufflet's feathers.

Unbeknownst to him, N's lips curved upward, "I'm quite elated to hear that that's not what's been troubling you."

"Who said I was troubled?" White asked curtly. Her blue eyes emitted daggers: to N it felt as if his heart was being punctured by Cupid's bow (he wouldn't admit anything as stupid and Black-like as that out loud though.)

"You're angry about me being Team Plasma's king, right?" He rested his grey eyes on White's blue ones.

The girl stared at him before punching his arm.

"Owwww…What did you do that for?" N whined. He rubbed the part of his arm where White punched him, a lips pursed in annoyance.

White smirked, "You were trying too hard to look cool. I like it when you act like a whiny brat."

N gave her a glare, but instead of getting an apology from her, she laughed. The sound of her laughter was like the chiming of little bells, its sweet sound reverberating until it reached the very core of his heart (N decided at this moment that Black was an idiot for injecting these lines that oozed stupidity into his overly receptive brain).

"…Then what's your problem? You ignored me yesterday." N asked in a small voice, still a bit cross after receiving an undeserved hit from White.

White frowned. "…Maybe I was sort of mad at you for being the King of Team Plasma," She turned around to lean her back against the drawbridge railing, "I never would have guessed a kid like you would have been the leader of a group of thugs. Then again, you always seemed to be very into the idea of separating humans and their pokémon….I can't imagine why though." The girl looked down at her rufflet.

Offended, N folded his arms over his chest and stood up straighter, "Pokémon are my friends: I am on a mission to protect them from the evil of being used as tools. My friends should not have to endure a life full of injury and being forced to battle each other for a trainer's entertainment. And those you call "thugs" are actually kind-hearted people who have been enlightened by Team Plasma's good intentions. Anyone else is simply ignorant and refuses to see the truth behind Team Plasma's cause."

The brunette looked up at N. For a brief moment her blue eyes widened and eased into a look of hurt. It may have been N's imagination though, since seconds later her eyes narrowed in anger.

"Well, since I'm so ignorant, I guess I'm too inferior to be seen around you, right, _your majesty_?" she asked mockingly. Her obvious sarcasm and look of distaste towards N's "truth" suddenly made the king extremely nervous. Had he said the wrong thing? Was it even possible for him to have said the wrong thing?

"White," N started, "You're different. You're nothing like those despicable trainers who abuse their pokémon, but you must understand: in order for me to save the unfortunate pokémon, those horrible trainers, along with very, _very_ few good-hearted ones like yourself have to make the ultimate sacrifice. We cannot continue living in a world of gray." He nodded to himself: that was definitely inspirational and should prevent White from hating him _too_ much. It was about a...forty-five percent probability that White wouldn't hate him.

He finally noticed that White had already begun walking away in the middle of his speech. "It's best we don't speak if you're so held up on your 'truths' rather than seeing the hurt you plan on causing for everyone." She said as she walked away.

It seemed as if the world had stopped on its axis as White walked further and further out of sight. Unreachable as always. N clenched his hands; he wasn't sure if it was out of anger, sadness, or both.

N chose not to follow her. Instead he stared at the lake, watching a collection of Swanna and Ducklett snap their beaks at each other playfully. If only White could see this: free pokémon that could roam in the expanse space of their natural environment, living their lives with family instead of a human being that forced them out of their home.

He hated the fact that every time he would point out her wrongdoings she would turn away and leave; but not before saying something that made him doubt himself.

"…I know there are different methods. But these days, no one would respond if not forced." He whispered to himself, paraphrasing the wise words his father always told him as a child.

The sound of footsteps nearing caused N to whirl around…hoping that it was White.

Instead, it was Black that walked towards the green-haired king.

"Uhhh…so my sister is _kiiinda_ pissed." Black stated quietly. N gave a small nod.

Black waited for N to reply. When he didn't get one, Black took small steps closer to N. He looked directly at his face, his brown eyes planted only onto N's face. The older teen tried to ignore him by looking in the other direction.

"…What?" The unfaltering stare Black gave him incited a response from N.

"…And my sister _kiiiinda_ left me behind." Black laughed half-heartedly before his expression deflated into a deep frown.

"Maybe you should grow up and learn to live without her then." N replied bitterly. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked pass Black without a second glance.

N didn't really feel like a genius at that moment.

* * *

…_Ummm…haha. I did not plan for this to end on such a dramatic note. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE HUMOROUS DAMMIT. So, sorry if that kinda dampened your mood at the end ^_^; I guess I can try getting the 'humor' to pick up again next chapter. And hopefully stay that way. (if there even was humor in the first place)_

_And in case you were wondering…Black paid for their meal at the Pokémon Center, so no angry waitresses at the end of this chapter. _

_Wow, my author's notes are really pointless xD _

_...kthxbye._


	3. Terrible Nicknames

_Well, hello all you wonderful people...it's been a month since my last update...THAT'S A FREAKING RECORD-BREAKER FOR ME :D I'm a terribly slow updater, so for those who actually enjoy this story, I apologize T^T And now that school is about a week away...updates will definitely be a lot less frequent. I'm very, very sorry for that, so to compensate, I typed up a significantly longer chapter than the others (By 'significantly', I mean 1K more...) And sorry to break it to you, but this chapter is a complete filler..sorta. I **think** there may be a little character development in some form though :D_

_So, please forgive my horrible habits in not updating my story fast enough, for terrible nicknames, and for giving you such a boring chapter..._

_ENJOY...?_

* * *

**_Terrible Nicknames_**

The noise would not stop no matter how hard he tried to ignore it. The green-haired king could still hear it even with his hands pressed over his ears, but despite his efforts it would amplify itself. Dismayed by the fact that the sound would refuse to cease, he gave up on trying to block it out, and instead and settled on shoving his hands into his pockets so that he wasn't _as_ tempted to punch something. Fiddling with the Menger sponge clipped to the side of his belt, he could almost feel his fingers itch to latch onto his new companion's neck and never let go.

Said companion was none other than Black, incessantly rattling about his achievements thus far in the Pokemon League. And there could only be one thing to speak of when it came to the League.

..._Battling_: The act of pitting poor pokémon against each other for the amusement of their trainers. It was a particularly sensitive topic to N. Nevertheless, N chose to try his hardest in tuning out Black: he would attempt to be the responsible one in this unlikely duo.

And still, the younger teen gave in excruciating (_Excruciating solely to N_) detail on how his pokémon came out as a victor in each of his battles. N noted that the brunet had made no mention of his losses. The green-haired teen knew Black was simply avoiding embarrassment from having been annihilated by White and his rival (Sharon, was it?) quite a few times.

The main reason N decided it was best to act as calm as he possibly could was because the two boys were being trailed behind by Black's dewott, Scallop Ninja (_A terrible nickname, and not just because N was against the whole idea of humans giving pokémon a new alias without consent, but also because...well…it was a completely stupid and embarrassing name to be honest_.) N always put a pokémon's well-being before his own, so N opted to just try and become immune to Black's blabber rather than lash out and potentially frighten the water pokémon.

"Man it was awesome! Scallop pulled off this awesome hydro pump at that emolga: the thing literally crashed into the wall!" Black exclaimed, giving Scallop Ninja a slap on the back. A large grin stretched itself upon Scallop Ninja's round face. At that moment he held an almost uncanny resemblance to his trainer.

N pursed his lips, trying to prevent himself from cringing, "Yes, that's _great_ and all, but weren't you worried about the well-being of that poor emolga?" N gave Black a cold glare that the younger teen failed to notice as he replied.

"Course I worried. But that emolga was a tough little guy. If Scallop here didn't do what he did, we wouldn'ta gotten our badge!" Scallop Ninja and his trainer gave each other a high-five.

"I should have known. Getting a badge must be _so_ much more important than the injuries you and your opponent's poor pokémon had to withstand, hm? Of course, that's the life of a trainer: enslaving free pokémon for their own personal gain. _You sicken me_." N narrowed his eyes at the brunet walking alongside him.

Black gave N a blank stare for a moment. N relished in this, since it seemed to have shut Black up after what seemed like hours and hours of constant talking. However, the silence did not linger any longer than a few seconds.

The younger teen draped an arm around N's neck, bringing him down to his level, which was about a foot shorter and not a particularly comfortable position to be hunched into for the king.

"N, N, N." Black sang.

"….what?" N asked, ducking under Black's arm to escape his choke-hold. After which he straightened up and shoved his hands back into his pockets.

"You," Black pointed at him, "need to loosen up."

N folded his arms across his chest in a dignified manner. "And why should I listen to an incompetent fool like you?"

"Well I _am_ kind of your mentor in reaching out to the stone heart of my freaky sister that you for some reason like." Black grinned.

"I don't care, and neither does she." N seethed. Another reason N had put up with Black's constant talking was to avoid discussing the event the happened the day before. It wasn't very pleasant to be reminded of the icy stare White gave him before leaving him behind with more doubts and confusion than ever before.

Black's grin faded into a look of concern, something very rare for the teen. "N, come on, you can't just give up."

Tuning out Black's undoubtedly pointless lecture about capturing the heart of a female, N's mind drifted to White. Where did she go after their exchange? Why was she so mad? Why was she so stubborn?

Will she ever speak to him again?

Not one to dwell on trivial matters like human emotions, he muttered the elements of the periodic table to himself, determined to push the girl out of his head. "Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium-"

"Yo, you're whispering those weird magic spell thingies to yourself again." Black interrupted N. This had not been the first time during their walk to Mistralton City where N recited the elements to calm himself down.

"Quiet. I'm busy trying to erase your sister from my mind. It's taking a toll on my sanity."

"Is that a smart, indirect way of saying you've got a hard-on for my sister? 'Cuz that's disturbing." Black cringed. Scallop Ninja stuck his tongue out to imitate the disgust on his trainer's face.

The verdant-haired king wasn't sure what he meant, but N wasn't about to admit his unfamiliarity with the phrase to an idiot like Black.

N quickened his pace to brush past the shorter teen.

"Heeey, stop trying to ditch meee." Black whined as he and Scallop Ninja prolonged their strides in an effort to keep up. Like his sister, Black was quite short so it would take little exertion to completely abandon him if N chose to run. N had his reasons not to however.

"Leaving an ignorant trainer like you in the middle of this forest may be tempting, but if I were to go through with that, there is no doubt in my mind you would resort to the evil deed in enslaving another one of my friends."

"Whaaa?" Black cocked his head to the side.

N rolled his eyes a bit overdramatically before deciding to reiterate his words in a simpler manner in hopes of getting through Black's thick skull. Before allowing him to speak however, Black had bolted ahead, Scallop Ninja following close behind.

"DUDE, SAWSBUCKS!" He exclaimed gleefully. The tall blades of grass rustled as the group of sawsbuck and their deerling offspring lifted their heads to catch a glimpse of the hyperactive trainer. Their bodies and antlers were decorated with wilted leaves and icicles that hung on them as a reminder that autumn was almost at an end and winter was nearing.

"Black, we should leave them alone. They're busy preparing themselves for winter, so stop being a complete idiot and let's move on." N shook his head at Black's ignorance.

"Nah, man. I've wanted a sawsbuck since I was a kid. I mean, they're pretty badass. IT'S CAPTURE TIIME~" Black quite literally sang, "Scallops, let's do this!" Scallop Ninja grinned, scalchops readied in his paws.

"_What did I just say about this._" N said through his gritted teeth.

"I dunno man. I didn't really get what you were talking about with the evil deeds and stuff. Explain it to me after I have a new member on my team." Black equipped himself with a pokéball.

"I don't want to wait for you to attack an innocent creature!" N made a grab for the pokéball but Black merely sidestepped him.

"Sorry N. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Scallops, use hydro pump on that sawsbuck over there!" Black gestured towards an unsuspecting sawsbuck that stood far away from the others and out in the open.

Scallop Ninja nodded, his sharp teeth bared into a grin as he unleashed a great force of water at the unsuspecting sawsbuck.

_That poor sawsbuck. Standing far away from the others, not doing a single thing to deserve perpetual enslavement…_

N would not stand still let him be taken from his home.

"NOOOO!" N leaped in front of Scallop Ninja in an effort to block the torrent before reaching the season pokémon.

It could have been considered a success on his part if he hadn't crashed into the sawsbuck anyway and blacked out right after.

* * *

N could hear voices. Muffled and incomprehensible, but audible. He lay motionless, trying to interpret what exactly was going on. After a while he gave up on trying to evaluate the situation on audio alone, and opted to crack open his eyes to try to remember where he was and what he was doing on the ground.

Slowly he opened his eyes and was met with a blurred canvas. He could make out one figure with something red upon a mass of brown and blue. The other silhouette carried the same shade of brown, but what sat atop the head of brown stood something pink and white instead, and underneath that two blue orbs shone brightly as opposed to the dark brown ones the other figure had.

The voices kept going. One loud and tinged with anxiousness, and the other calm and quiet. After a while, N was able to decipher the words coming out of the two silhouettes.

"How could this happen?! _Arceus, I hope he's alive_." One of the shadows wailed.

"_Calm down_, I'm sure he's fine." the other voice reassured.

"I can't believe-I should've never-GAH!" A mental breakdown from one of the figures did not seem too far off.

"WOULD YOU RELAX?"

Ignoring the other voice's plea, "To think that this _nut_ would actually jump in front of a fully-charged hydro pump!" the voice practically yelled.

N shot straight up. "I'm not a nut, you're the idiot that wanted to attack a poor defenseless creature!" He glared at Black. The verdant-haired teen turned his head a little and stared at none other than White.

Whether imagination was playing tricks on him or not, N wasn't sure but he swore that White's eyes were more widened than they usually were.

"Uh-ummm…" N froze. He whipped his head in the other direction to avoid directly looking at her, but the suddenness of his movement caused his head to spin and ache.

White took notice of this. She reached into her bag and took out a pokéball. Pressing the button, a massive samurott was released from its pokéball.

"What? Shellmurai evolved before Scallops? Not cool!" Black pouted.

N took note of the fact that bad nicknaming must have run in the family. It actually made sense since the siblings were both named after colors.

"Maybe if you stopped messing around and flirting with nurses all the time you'd get some training done." White replied. Shellmurai stood proud in its place before his trainer, awaiting orders.

"Shellmurai, let N lay his head down on you. It's not exactly comfortable on the ground."

As Shellmurai bent down, N lifted his head from the ground to do as White had suggested. Normally he would have refused the offer in favor of his pride, but he had a feeling that White would not take no for an answer. And it wasn't all bad. N liked being near pokémon.

However, he couldn't help but imagine his head in White's lap instead.

"Ohohoho. I wonder what N is thinking about with that grin on his face." Black winked.

N realized that he had the exact grin Black had on his face all the time.

"Sh-Shut up…" N said, his voice smaller than he had intended.

"Awwww, how cute. Acting all nervous around your _crushy-wushy_." Black gushed teasingly.

White directed a cold glare at her brother. "Go sit over there." She pointed at a faraway tree.

"What, why?" Black continued, "I mean, I know I kinda injured him, but it wasn't my fault! Plus he's not dead, so it's all good-"

"_Right now_." White answered in a scathing tone. With a yelp, Black did as he was told. It was almost comical the way Black immediately sprinted to his designated spot under the tree.

"Why did you do that?" N asked. What he really wanted to ask was '_How were you able to get him to shut up_ _so fast_?' but he decided that the question did not pertain to the current situation. He'd find time to ask White that later.

That is, if she allowed him to talk to her.

"No reason." White stated bluntly. She stretched out one of her hands to stroke Shellmurai's helmeted head. It was then that N noticed that one of her arms was wrapped around the rufflet that had been present at their last conversation.

Great. He was immediately reminded of the disastrous turn their discussion from yesterday had gone.

They sat in complete silence. It was almost staggering to see the difference of atmosphere when being alone with one of the twins. Being alone with Black meant not being able to hear himself think or get a word in. When N was alone with White, it felt as if a blanket of tranquility had been cast over them, the absolute quiet allowed him to gather his thoughts and think clearly. And with the ability to think with more clarity than usual, N wracked his brain in trying to figure out how to apologize to the girl. He wasn't sure why or how he'd do it though.

To his surprise it was White who broke the silence first. "Feeling better?"

"Wh-what?" Stripped away from his thoughts, N was abruptly pulled back into reality.

"Your head. It's better, right?" The entire time White had not looked at N, continuing to run her hands across Shellmurai's back.

N lifted his head a bit before wincing from the sharp pain. "Not necessarily."

White nodded. "A hydro pump in the face probably felt like a bag of bricks being flung at you. You're lucky I happened to be passing by. Black probably would've been wasting his time running around in circles and panicking. At least, that's what I saw when I came."

N stared at her in disbelief at the fact that she was actually kind enough to drop by and help.

"It's very unlike you to willingly assist others when the problem doesn't involve you." N briefly remembered the time where she sighed in exasperation from being forced to help Fennel with her research and when she had to help take back a child's pokémon from Team Plasma.

(He didn't attain this information by stalking her or anything. Not at all.)

"I guess I've accustomed myself to solving other people's problems since the fiasco in the Cold Storage." She muttered. White let out her characteristic sigh, "besides, this has everything to do with me."

N was put off by the statement for a bit before coming to a realization, "Oh, of course. Because of your brother."

"And because I need to tell you something." Finally White turned to face N.

Startled by the sudden movement she made to look at him, N hesitated a bit before asking, "What is it you need to tell me?"

White tilted her head to look up at the sky. Her eyes flickered to her helmeted partner before dropping her head to look at the rufflet in her arms. The rufflet let out a small chirp from White's intense stare.

"I've been thinking about what you said yesterday. About pokémon being used as tools for a trainer's entertainment."

N's grey eyes widened and he let a huge smile take its place upon his features. "You mean, you agree with me?" In his glee, he had sprung up into a sitting position, ignoring the throbbing in his head, "You agree that humans are cruel for putting pokémon in dangerous situations and abducting them from their homes?"

Nothing made him happier than knowing that White was on his side. Maybe…he had a chance.

"Hey, calm down," White gently pushed N back to his previous position before continuing, "When you put it that way, yes. Humans are cruel."

_She agrees. She has finally seen the light, the truth. White agrees with me. _N's smile had not subsided.

"But, as I've been telling you ever since we first met, not _all _humans are like that." At White's words N's smile faltered. His eyes narrowed.

"Why must you always use the same argument? Claiming that not all humans abuse pokémon. Why don't you just admit that I'm right?" It took all of N's control to not launch himself into a tantrum. An esteemed future king such as he should never stoop down so low.

White set the rufflet down on the ground. "I just recently realized how pointless it would be for me to try to prove something without concrete evidence. So I took what you said to heart. I thought back to the first time we met back in Accumula and I decided that I would ask pokémon to join me instead of attacking without warning." White dug into her pink bag, clutching three pokéballs and unleashing the pokémon that resided within them.

After a red flash of light from each of the pokéballs, three pokémon were shaped. A scrafty stood with his chest puffed out, throwing random punches into the air to show off his skill. Next, a stubby legged darumaka danced circles around him, a crescent of bright white teeth stretched across her face. Steel claws poised into a battle stance, a hefty excadrill slashed at the air, also making an attempt to impress anyone around to marvel at his precise attacks.

"And by asking pokémon to join my team, I gained three new friends: Loofah, Shogun, and Applesauce." White let a small smile grace her lips as she gestured towards her rufflet, scrafty, and darumaka. (N was briefly distracted by the horrible nicknames)

"Of course, I'm not saying that Shellmurai and Wilbur don't enjoy being part of the team." The samurott smiled and the excadrill gave a curt nod, which was more approval from the stout pokémon that had ever been given by him.

N didn't even need to understand what the pokémon were saying to know how content they were being a part of White's team.

He should have been used to it by now. Feeling completely and utterly at a loss for words whenever White went ahead and proved him wrong. But he was supposed to be king, he was always right. That's what Ghetsis told him.

"…You confuse me." N said, a vacant look reflected in his eyes.

White cocked her head to the side, befuddled by his change in attitude.

"…Why aren't you a mean trainer? Why don't you look like the evil people that abuse pokémon in the books I read? Why do your pokémon trust you," he paused, "And why are..._dummies_ like Black also good people?" The words projected out of his mouth as fast as bullets. His voice seemed to have altered: his words were even speedier and laced with the newfound perplexity from the equation he could not solve. Why was he, the king, now constantly in doubt of the truths that he had held since he was a young boy?

He shook his head at the thought. No, he didn't doubt himself. As king, it's only natural for him to explore all opinions of his future commoners. Of course he hadn't lost sight of his dream. There was no way.

He couldn't help but slip in one more question, "And why is it so hard to hate you?"

"Well..." White began, "I'm not sure why I'm not a mean trainer. I just want what's best for my pokémon and so do plenty of other people. Umm...I guess people are different, so of course I don't look like the humans you read about. My pokémon trust me because I treat them with kindness and respect, just like many other trainers. And Black may be stupid, but he's naturally kind-hearted and loves his pokémon very much," The girl pursed her lips, "And I didn't get your last question."

"Instead of hating you like I'm supposed to, I've begun to regard you as some sort of…_something_. You interest me." N felt his cheeks grow warm.

"Y-you're…interested…" White's stature tensed up and she could not stop her cheeks from glowing red too.

The uncharacteristic glow upon White's usually pale complexion alarmed N. She also seemed to have taken an increased interest in the ground beneath them as she raked her hands through the dirt and averted her eyes away from the king.

"White, you seemed to have contracted some sort of disease." N said worriedly, grey eyes enlarged with concern.

"What?" White looked up and lifted her hand from the ground.

"You're all red." N stated casually.

White lost control. Her shoulders shook, and she could not hide the laughter that threatened to burst out of her lips any longer. N was more than shocked from seeing a smile identical to her brother's appear on her face as she burst into giggles.

He didn't understand, but he seemed to have contracted her infectious disease. The usually stoic king began to laugh.

"Hey are you guys okay?" the sound of Black's voice halted their laughing session.

White straightened herself up and reverted back to her usual calmed, and undeterred persona. "Yeah, and stay under that tree for a few more minutes." She replied. Although her voice was soft and couldn't have been able to reach her brother, Black got the message and stayed glued to his spot under the tree.

"Anyway," White directed herself to N, "You're probably wondering why I was laughing so hard." N nodded in response.

Smirking White explained, "It's because what you said is possibly the most cliché thing an oblivious person can ever say. I mean, a sickness, really?"

"I'm not oblivious!" N frowned, "And how was I being cliché? You were getting all red, so I got worried. Is worrying over an acquaintance's well-being no longer the social norm?"

Pursing her lips, White sighed. "Acquaintance?" One of her eyebrows arched.

N nodded. "Of course. I only have pokémon for friends. You should feel honored being acknowledged as a distant companion of mine, considering your human status." Before he could stop himself, the king felt as if he had said something very, very wrong.

Another bout of silence hung over them, but it wasn't the kind that brought him to peace like the last one did. N could simply feel the tension that had arisen.

White's pokémon seemed to have noticed as well. Without warning, Shellmurai lifted himself up from his spot, allowing gravity do its wonders and bring N's head crashing back down upon the dirt floor. Loofah squawked and pecked at the fallen trainer while Shogun cracked his knuckles and the rest of White's team let cold glares emit from their narrowed eyes.

"Ah-Oww, w-what? Why are you-OW!" N yelped as Loofah continued the merciless pecking at his arms.

N couldn't fathom what was happening. The hateful glares from White's team…these pokémon actually wanted to _injure_ him? There had never been a time where a pokémon lashed out at the king with the exception of the times he was brought an abused pokémon when he was younger…but then that abused pokémon would eventually learn to trust him.

But these pokémon-clearly not abused-were actually considering harming him? Why? Did they really respect their trainer that much?

After a few flashes of red, White's pokémon were recalled back into their pokéballs with the exception of Loofah who quickly leaped back into his trainer's arms.

"GUYS I'M BORED!" Black's voice boomed from about a quarter-mile away (quickly estimated in N's head.) The other two promptly ignored his call.

White stood up, brushing off the dirt that clung to her shorts. She towered over N, who was still on the ground.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I haven't used a pokéball on Loofah?" the girl inquired.

N blinked a few times, trying to get the new information to sink into his brain. "…You never captured that rufflet?"

White shook her head. "He can leave any time, it's his choice. But considering the fact I found him all the way back in Nimbasa, I wonder if he's ever considered the option."

Once again, a heavy silence weighted itself upon them. Both were trapped within the confines of their own thoughts.

At that point Black had had enough of doing nothing. With incredible speed, Black sprinted back to his sister and travelling companion. He was met with the sight of White's back turned to N, and the king staring blankly up at her. Having no clue of what had transpired between the two, Black was confused by the total silence.

"…Your head's better right?" White reluctantly asked.

N attempted to raise his head up from the floor. Noticing that the pain in his head had waned, he rose himself into a sitting position.

"So sis, where are you heading to now?" Black had decided to be the icebreaker in this overtly awkward situation.

The girl shrugged. "I'll probably have to backtrack to Driftveil. I'll need more supplies from using up all those potions." And without another word, White went on her way back to said city.

N's gaze lingered nowhere else as he watched White's figure shrink as distance continued to grow between them.

Once White was out of sight, N found the energy to finally stand up. "Potions? Why does she need more? Has she been attacking poor, innocent wild pokémon on the way here?"

"Hm?" Black looked up at N, "Oh yeah, she shoved a bunch of potions down your throat. I always thought they were for pokémon but she kinda looked desperate so I let her. Don't worry though, it's safe. We checked a reliable source."

"Desperate?" N couldn't imagine someone like White to act…desperate or worried over anything really.

N came to a realization at that moment.

"Wait, which one of you was the one that called me a 'nut'?" N inquired.

"That was her, but being the jerk you are, you thought that was me." Black rolled his eyes.

If White was indeed the one that dubbed him as a 'nut,' then that must've meant that she was the one N had heard panicking as he began coming back to his senses…

"So…was it you or White doing all the screaming?"

Black puffed out his cheeks in annoyance. "You honestly confused my voice with my _sister's_? Geez, N. But yeah, the one going all ballistic was none other than your crush. I tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't listen and just kept running around in circles until I told her that you were waking up."

N blinked. After a while of getting no response, Black continued.

"I've honestly never seen her so worried about something. Usually it'd be me doing all the yelling and screaming, but since she was doing a fine job at that I decided to be the responsible sibling," Black beamed proudly, "What a great big brother I am."

_White…yelling and screaming? _

As hard as he tried, N just could not picture a distressed White. "She…was worried?"

Black raised an eyebrow just as White would, "Um, _yeah_." He repeated.

N just could not register what he was hearing. White showing any signs of emotion was unheard of until after their meeting on the Ferris wheel. But even after that White seldom had any other facial expression except for an occasional glare. The king couldn't help but smile at the thought of White being vexed by his well-being, even if he hadn't been awake for it.

"And you know," Black broke through N's train of thought, "I don't remember ever seeing her laugh like that before."

Black walked ahead, leaving N to stand completely still.

"Hey, we're going to Mistralton right? I'M GETTING THAT BADGE BEFORE MY SISTER AND STUPID CHEREN, JUST WATCH!" Black began to skip as N trekked behind ever so slowly.

There had been something on his mind, as per usual.

N couldn't remember any other time he laughed like that either.

* * *

_And so, events of some substance will occur in the next chapter. Such as, hiding out in electric caves and being paralyzed by joltiks._

_Hopefully I can manage an update before the end of summer...wouldn't count on it to be honest :P_

_Thanks for reading :)_


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